“That you haven’t held my hand since I was nine.”
Cole brings my hand up to his lips and presses a gentle kiss to the back.
“I guess what really guts me is I won’t be the most important guy in your life.”
“Cole.” I pull him into a tight embrace as the elevator doors whoosh open. “You’ll always be my favorite brother.”
“I’m your only brother.”
“Yeah, well”—I give a little smile—“that explains a lot.”
We get out, and the door to the apartment sits ajar from our abrupt departure. We step in, and I stare toward Bryson’s room. I’m dying to go over to him. For all I know he could be bleeding to death no thanks to Cole and the foot loose moves he shoved into his gut.
“Will you check on him for me?” It comes out a whimper, and I lower my gaze because I have a feeling that might actually seal Bryson’s death warrant.
Cole blows out a breath before glancing back down the hall.
“Nah.” He flexes a short-lived smile. “Why don’t you do it? I’m tapped.”
“Really? You’re okay with that?”
“Just don’t do anything with him, please.” His hands fly near his temples. “I’m not ready to go there. Not tonight.”
“Got it.”
“Baya?” He scratches at the back of his neck. “Where were you this weekend?”
Tears pool in my eyes once again because it kills me that I lied to him.
“I was with Bryson.”
He gives a quick nod. “I never want you to feel like you can’t tell me the truth again. You mean the world to me, Baya, and I was worried sick.”
I pull Cole into another embrace. “You really are the world’s best big brother, you know that?”
“I know.”
“Hey,” I blow it out in less than a whisper as I make my way back into Bryson’s room. His head is buried under a pillow, and the lights are still on, so I turn them off and crawl into bed with him. “You okay?” I ride my hand carefully over his stomach.
“I’ll live.” He groans as he gets up on his elbow. The moonlight washes through the room and bleaches all the color out of our world. “Everything go okay?” He brushes the hair from my eyes, and the ghost of a smile plays on his lips. It would figure that he gets his boys handed to him on a stick, but it’s me he’s worried about. Bryson is just that sweet.
“Better than okay,” I whisper. “By the way, I’m pretty sure he’s taken killing you off his shortlist of things to do.”
“My balls are glad to hear it.” He dots my forehead with a kiss. “Come here.” Bryson adjusts his pillow and covers us with a blanket from off the floor. “Does he know you’re in here?” His strong hand traces along my thigh, and I lean further into him, encouraging him to trace out every nuance if he wanted.
“Yes, but he asked me not to do anything with you.” I shrug.
“That’s all right. He sort of disabled those services in me for a while anyway. I’m afraid he wiped out any children we might have wanted in the future.”
“We’ll always have Lucy.” I snuggle into him giddy just thinking about a future with Bryson.
“We’ll always have Lucy.” He presses his lips to my forehead.
“Bryson?”
“Yeah?” He pulls me in until we’re spooning, and his warm arm lies over my waist.
“Whatever happened to Stephanie?”
